Rotary steam-engine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-She'et 1. P. D. MOON. ROTARY STBAMENGINE.

Patented May 17 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(N0 M'odelL) P.D. MOON,. ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

Patent ed'May 17,118 98.

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P.D.MOON. ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

No. 304,333. Patented May 17, 1393.

NITED STATES 4 FFICE.

PATENT FRANK D. MOON, OF LOOKPORT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-TNVEN-TIETHS TO LUOIUS F. ADAMS AND JOSHUA GASKILL, OF SAME PLACE, ANDFREDERICK S. JACKSON, OF HOLLAND, NEW YORK.

ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 04,333, dated May 17,1898. lanai... filed May 14, 1397. $erialllo.*636,532. (No model.)

To all? whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK D. MOON, acitizen of the United States,residing at Lockport, in the county of Niagara and State of New York,have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in RotarySteam- Engines, of which the following is afull, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a face view of myengine, showin g the valve-lever thrown to admit steam for operation tothe right. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a face View ofthe valve-operating disk and valve-shaft camarms. Fig. f is a partialcentral vertical cross-section through the valve mechanism and casing,showing the engine reversed. Fig; 5 is a central vertical cross-sectionthrough Fig. 2 on the line V V. Fig. 6 is a similar section on the lineVI VI of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a detail viewsimilar to Fig. 3, showing theparts in a position of rest, the steam being cut off. Fig. 8 is a detailperspective view of the twoway pivoted valve. Fig. 9 is a detail viewsimilar to Fig. 4, showing the steam cut off and the drum in a middleposition. Fig. 10 is a view in side elevation of an engine provided witha double valve. Fig. llis a central longitudinal sectional view thereof.

My invention relates to rotary engines, and has for its object theconstruction of an engine wherein the expansive properties of the steammay be utilized with economy and with simple and inexpensive mechanism,together with an improved valve-gearing by which the admission of steamto the engine may be readily controlled and the engine reversed foroperation in either direction.

Other details of construction forming novel and essential features of myinvention will be more fully set forth in the following specificationand embodied in the accompanying claims.

Referring now to the drawings, 2 is the main cylinder of the engine,provided with a suitable base 3 and heads 4 4, in which are mountedbearings 5, supporting the main shaft of the engine 6. Upon this shaftis mounted the drum 7, secured by a key, the drum being of considerablyless diameter than the internal diameter of the cylinder, between whichand the drum there is therefore an intervening annular space 8,representing the mean effective steam area. Upon the drum, extendingacross its length, is mounted an abutment 9, constituting the piston ofthe engine, which abutment completely fills the space 8, making a tightmoving fit thereon and free to rotate with the drum under action ofsteam'pressure on the abutment.

10 is the valve-chamber, located above the cylinder, and between thevalve-chamber and cylinder are intervening pocketchambers 11 11', intowhich open ports 12 12 from the valve-chamber 10.

Steam is admitted into the valve-chamber by an inlet-barrel 13, having acentral opening 14, in communication with the steam-inlet pipe 15, and alateral port 16, opening toward the ports 12 12. J ournaled upon thebarrel 13 is the rocking valve 17, provided with a port 18, adapted toregister with the port 16 of the hollow barrel 13 and with the ports 12and 12, leading to the steam-cylinder.

The valve 17 is sleeved on the barrel 13, making a steam-tight fit, andone end is reduced in diameter and has a bearing 111a suitable bushing20 in the frame of the engine and an extended reduced stem 21, to whichis secured the operating-handle 22, by which the valve may be thrown toany desired position.

Between the rocking valve 17 and the inner face of the valve-chamber isan intervening space 23, forming an exhaust-passage for the steam, andinto the top of the valve-chamber is screwed an exhaust-pipe 24,communicating therewith. A double-acting rock-valve 25 is secured to arod 26, pivoted centrally in the main frame of the engine, the innerface of the valve conforming to the same radius as the inner face of thecylinder and of a length to close the passage leading from the space 8to chambers 11 11, as shown in Fig. 9, the edges 27 of such passageconforming to a radius struck from the center of the pivoted rod 26,whereby the edges of the valve 25 will aline with such edges and make atight fit. Upon the outer end of the rod 26, which extends through thecasing, is secured the tilting dog 28, having cam-arms 29 29 at eachside, and an open intervening space 30, keyed or otherwise secured tothe rod 26, by which the rod and valve 25 are operated independently bythe following-described mechanism.

Secured to the end of the main engineshaft 6 is a disk 31, to the innerface of which is secured by bolt 32 a roller 33, so located as torevolve in the path of the cam-arms 29 and to engage one or the other ofsuch arms, according to the direction of rotation. When steam isadmitted from the valve through either of the ports 12 or 12', the endof the valve 25 adjacent to such inlet-valve will be depressed bysteam-pressure,admitting steam to the space 8, when by expansion againstthe abutment 9 the drum 7 and shaft 6 will be rotated, one end of thevalve 25 being held down upon the drum by steam-pressure, as clearlyshown in Fig. 5, while the other end is thrown up into the chamber 11,thereby opening an exhaust-passage through such chamber, port 12, andspace 23 to the exhaust-pipe 24. When so thrown into position, the arm29 of dog 28 will be thrown down into the path of roller 33, which willstrike and raise the arm, and consequently the valve 25, out of the pathof the advancing abutment 9, the roller passing up into the space 30between the arms and in its passage releasing the arm 29. The action ofthe roller or jar is avoided by the curvature of the faces, while thepartition formed by the valve 25 being momentarily raised, so that thesteam on each side has an opportunity to comminthe fall of the valve,thus avoiding unnecessary knocking of the parts. This feature ofindependent raising of the valve constitutes an important and valuablepart of my invention, as I am enabled to thereby avoid the wear andobjectionable friction of parts occurring were the abutment used toraise the valve.

It will be seen that when steam is admitted to act on the abutment thefull expansive qualities are utilized, inasmuch as the walls of thechamber 11 and that part of the valve 25 from the rod 26 to the edgeserve to confine the steam within a chamber so formed by the valve, thusfurnishing apositive unyielding backing for the steam, against which itwill expand and act upon the abutment.

It is obvious that the engine will operate equally well in the reversedirection, the port 12 in such case acting as an exhaust-port and theport 12 as an inlet-port upon reversal of the valve, as shown in Fig.4.-

In Fig. 9 the valve is shown in the middle position, the ports 12 12being closed and the valve 25 assuming a similar position.

In starting the engine it is ordinarily only necessary to throw thevalve to admit steam in the desired direction; but should the enginestop with the abutment in the position shown in Fig. 9 the drum shouldbe thrown round slightly, so as to permit the steam to open the valve.If desired, the valve 17 may be supplied with cut-ofi mechanism andconnected with an eccentric or other operative device on theengine-shaft, whereby the steam admission may be automaticallyregulated, as in the ordinary reciprocating engine. Good results may besecured by double and triple compound constructions built in accordancewith my design, whereby the exhaust-steam from the high pressurecylinder is reused down to atmospheric pressure, as in the usualpractice with other types of engines at present. Such a construction isnot shown in the drawings and will form the subject-matter of laterapplications for patents.

In the construction shown in Figs. 10 and 11 the engine is shownsupplied with valves at each end, and the reversing-lever 22 isconnected to a similar lever 22 by a connectingrod 34, whereby bothvalves are operated simultaneously.

If desired, in engines of large size three or or four valves may bearranged around the cylinder to good advantage, while for ordinary useone or two will be found suflicient, although I do not desire to belimited to such number or arrangement as is shown in the 1 drawings, butto include all such variations and modifications as will suggestthemselves to the skilled mechanic.

upon the arm is very easy and all knocking The advantages of a practicaland economical rotary engine are well understood and a recognized in theart of engine construction, and my invention will be appreciated by the3 users of steam-power.

gle, a cushioning effect is thereby secured for In other and priorconstructions of engines having in view an initial rotary motion of the1 main shaft difficulties of securing proper and sufficient expansion ofthe steam and packing of. the various joints and'working parts have notbeen adequately overcome, and I believe I am the first to securepractical and efficient results in these respects.

By my construction the evil effects of leakage are reduced to a minimum,and such packing as is necessary is a matter of comparative ease.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. In a rotary engine comprising a cylinder, a drum mounted thereinprovided with an abutment, a valve-chamber located to one side of thecylinder, a valve mounted therein, and a double-acting rock-valvepivotally mounted between the valve-chamber and the cylinder with meansfor actuating the rockment, a valve-chamber located to one side of thecylinder, a valve mounted therein, intervening pocket-chambers betweenthe valvechamber and the cylinder formed into enlargedlaterally-extended cavities, a doubleacting rock-valve pivoted betweenthe pocketchambers adapted to open and close communication between suchchambers and the cylinder, a cam-arm on the rock-valve shaft and meansattached to the main shaft for operating the cam to actuate therock-valve, substantially as set forth.

3. In a rotary engine provided with a cylinder and a drum "mountedtherein provided with an abutment, a double-acting pivoted rock-valvewith its inner face conforming to the inner face of the cylinder and avalvechamber located to one side of the cylinder with a valve mountedtherein; intervening pocket-chambers between the valve-chamber andcylinder having extended lateral cavities allowing for free circulationaround the ends of the rock-valve when deflected and contracted to meetthe edges of said valve when closed, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, in a rotary engine, of a cylinder, a drum mountedtherein provided with an abutment, a valve-chamber located to one sideof the cylinder, intervening pocketchambers between the valve-chamberand the cylinder, a double-acting rock-valve pivoted between thepocket-chambers with its inner face curved to conform to the inner faceof the cylinder, a double-arm cam on the valve-stem, a disk on the mainshaft provided with a roller for engagement therewith, and a rotatoryvalve mounted on an inlet-barrel in the valvechamber and adapted to opensupply and exhaust passages leading to the intervening pocket-chambers;substantially as set forth.

5. In a rotary engine, the combination of a cylinder, a drum mountedtherein provided with an abutment, a plurality of valve-chambers locatedlaterally to the cylinder with valves mounted therein, means forsimultaneously reversing the valves, intervening pocket-chambers betweenthe valve-chambers and the cylinder, constituting enlarged communicatingpassages for supply and exhaust steam around the ends of therock-valves, double-acting rock-valves pivoted centrally between thepocket-chambers with their inner faces curved to conform to the innerface of the cylinder, actuating-cams on the valvestems and a disk on themain shaft provided with a roller for engagement therewith,substantially as set forth.

6. In a rotary engine comprising a cylinder, a drum mounted thereinprovided with an abutment, a valve-chamber located to one side of thecylinder, a valve mounted therein, a double-acting rock-valve pivotallymounted between the valve-chamber and the cylinder, and interveningpocket-chambers between the valve-chambers and the cylinder constitutingenlarged communicating passages for supply and exhaust steam around theends of the rock-valve: a double-arm cam withaconcave recess between thearms, mounted on the end of the rock-valve shaft and a roller mounted ona disk secured to the main shaft adapted to enter the recess and engageone of the arms, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination,in arotary engine, of a cylinder, a drum mountedtherein provided with an abutment, a valve-chamber located to one sideof the cylinder, intervening pocketchambers between the valve-chamberand the cylinder, a double-acting rock-valve pivoted between thepocket-chambers with its inner face curved to conform to the inner faceof the cylinder, a cam on the valve-stem, a disk on the main shaftprovided with a roller for engagement therewith, and a rotatory valvemounted on the inlet-barrel in the valve-chamber and adapted to opensupply and exhaust passages leading to the intervening pocketchambers;substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, ina rotary engine, of a cylinder, a drum mountedtherein provided with an abutment, a valve-chamber located to one sideof the cylinder, intervening pocketchambers between the valve-chamberand the cylinder, a double-acting rock-valve pivoted between thepocket-chambers with its inner face curved to conform to the inner faceof the cylinder, a cam on the valve-stem, a disk on the main shaftprovided with a roller for engagement therewith and a valve in thevalve-chamber adapted to open supply and exhaust passages leading to theintervening pocket-chambers, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of April,1897.

FRANK D. MOON.

Witnesses:

DE WITT C. GAsKILL,

LEWIS T. BARNES.

